SpaceX soars, Short sellers flee, and Domino's has a new pizza
Why smart money is hunting Bugatti Veyrons now
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Short sellers flee as SpaceX races back to $150
SpaceX shares jumped 11% Wednesday to around $148, rebounding more than 40% from the Aug. 3 low near $105 and testing the $150 opening trade as short interest collapsed.
Short interest falls sharply: Short interest fell to about 11% of publicly traded shares from a peak of 34% last week according to S3 Partners. “Shorts that wanted to short are out of bullets,” said Ihor Dusaniwsky.
Lockup expiration expands float: Just over 911 million shares became eligible last Thursday after the initial lockup expired, exceeding the 639 million sold in the IPO and representing roughly 7% of outstanding shares.
Earnings report sparks sell-off: The stock initially tumbled after the first earnings disclosed capital expenditures more than twice revenue, drawing short sellers to the limited public float before the rebound.
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Shipping Titan profits from gridlock: 2026 guidance raised again
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd said Thursday that shipping volumes held up despite geopolitical turmoil, U.S. tariffs and trade route disruptions, but warned port and trucking bottlenecks could delay deliveries and raise prices.
Volumes prove resilient: Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc highlighted incredible resilience of demand and the economy, with volumes continuing completely unabated despite the war in Iran and U.S. tariffs.
Landside capacity strained: Underinvestment in landside infrastructure for the last 15 years combined with volume growth is stretching limitations of ports, roads, rail and trucking in many markets.
Earnings beat expectations: Maersk reported preliminary second-quarter underlying EBITDA of $3 billion, well above the $2.04 billion expected by analysts, and raised its 2026 earnings guidance.
Hapag reports strength: Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen said volumes were remarkably strong with a more reasonable supply-demand balance, though Asian hubs like Shanghai struggle with demand.
Pandora goes all-in on platinum as silver prices crash
Pandora is continuing its shift toward platinum-plated jewelry to cut exposure to volatile silver prices even after silver retreated from multi-year highs, CEO Berta de Pablos-Barbier told CNBC on Thursday.
Portfolio diversification continues: The world’s largest jeweler is replacing some sterling-silver pieces with platinum-plated alternatives to create a more flexible offering of materials for consumers, the CEO said.
Silver prices have fallen: Spot silver traded just under $65 an ounce on Thursday after peaking above $120 in January and standing near $80 when the platinum move was first announced.
Guidance and profits rise: Pandora hiked 2026 organic growth guidance to 0% to 3% from negative 1% to 2% and posted second-quarter operating profit of 1.46 billion Danish crowns with a 20.3% margin.
Hedging and stock rebound: The company has hedged 90-100% of 2027 silver at around $65 while shares rebounded 55% over three months and rose 4% after the better-than-expected results.
Big Pharma war: Novo CEO takes on Eli Lilly’s ads
Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar on Wednesday defended suing Eli Lilly over weight-loss drug advertising, saying competition must be fierce yet fair so patients and physicians get the full truth before choosing.
Lawsuit challenges advertising: Novo sued Lilly last month alleging ads for Zepbound mislead consumers on efficacy versus Wegovy using a head-to-head trial of older lower doses published in May 2025.
Newer dose omitted: Doustdar said comparisons ignore Novo’s high-dose 7.2 mg Wegovy approved in March that delivered about 19% average weight loss or 47 pounds over 72 weeks.
Lilly rejects claims: Eli Lilly said its advertising is truthful, no head-to-head supports Wegovy HD matching Zepbound, and Zepbound remains the most prescribed U.S. obesity medicine.
Pill prescriptions surge: Doustdar claimed the Wegovy pill, launched early January after December 2025 FDA approval, has surpassed 5 million U.S. prescriptions as the best pharmaceutical launch ever.
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Cheesecake Factory is leading a massive sector rotation
Established chains including Cheesecake Factory gained roughly 62% at the median over 60 trading days while growth names like Chipotle stagnated, creating a gap wider than any from 2016 through 2025.
Median gains hit 62%: Darden, Texas Roadhouse, Brinker, Cheesecake Factory and BJ’s Restaurants rose about 62% at the median over three months as Chipotle, Wingstop and Shake Shack went essentially nowhere.
Record gap established: The divide reached a record 66 points on Aug. 7, topping the previous high of 50 points set in November 2019 according to the Yahoo Finance data.
Fundamentals favor sit-downs: Established group showed 3.3% same-store sales versus 2.3% for growth chains, with forward P/E of 22x versus 35x and stronger recent EPS revisions.
Traffic drives winners: Cheesecake Factory posted 5.8% comparable-sales growth including 2.7% traffic while BJ’s rose 6.5% in comps with traffic jumping 8.3% last quarter.
Why smart money is hunting Bugatti Veyrons now
Bugatti Veyron values are rising after years of stagnation, with Hagerty data showing roughly 20% gains since 2021 and the earliest cars up 29% to an average of about $1.9 million as younger collectors enter.
Values climb steadily: Since 2021 Hagerty data shows Veyrons gained roughly 20% overall while the earliest cars are up 29% to an average of about $1.9 million amid shifting collector tastes.
Younger buyers emerge: Buyers chasing Veyrons now skew younger than those of a current Porsche 911, driven partly by long Ferrari wait lists pushing demand into other rare modern hypercars.
Year of the Bugatti: Hagerty CEO McKeel Hagerty said last year was kind of like the year of the Bugatti as newer cars become considered collectible in the market.
Liquidity fuels top end: Demand is concentrated at the upper levels from company sales, IPOs and overheated stocks amid tariffs, high rates and global conflict that frets lower wealth tiers.
Domino’s drops Detroit-style pizza for one on Aug. 31
Domino’s will launch the Domino, a Detroit-style pizza made for one and shaped like its logo, at stores nationwide on Aug. 31 to offer customizable personal options.
Detroit style for one: Shaped like the red-and-blue logo and cut into two slices, the pizza lets customers choose sauce plus up to three toppings for individual or mixed orders.
Crust and cheese details: It uses buttery-flavored pan dough with Parmesan cheese baked into the crust, comes with two layers of cheese and finishes with the chain’s garlic seasoning.
Mix and Match pricing: A two-topping Domino will be available in the Mix and Match deal for $6.99 each, though prices may be higher at some locations according to the company.
Strong testing feedback: Consumers in independent testing rated the Domino as one of the most delicious products Domino’s has introduced, though no sample size or methodology details were shared.